Apr 05 05:51:20 108 PA - Park Misadventures

From Chronicles

Apr 05 05:51:20 108 PA.

PLAZA PARK

Not having things falling on your head is good. Bella likes that. She's swallowed up by her coat anyways. Just in case. Not lots of people running around this late. Or this really early, since it can be both. Except for joggers. Bella's here, but she's not running. Just shuffling.

Gabriel comes wandering in off of Main Street, for once not himself at a jog. But again, his common procedure of whistling a martial tune and gazing up at the sky. The night isn't too bad, though he's obviously prepared for the absurdly long Kingsdale winter that everyone's been enjoying. Not that weather has really seemed to ever bother him. Perhaps he's just an idiot. For the time, he seems to just enjoy the relative quiet broken by the sound of his own whistling, remaining on the non-muddy path. Or at least, less-muddy.

Bartholemew's head is lowered to the ground for the most part, following the terrain just in front of him as he moves along at his steady pace. Coming around a tree where the bike path crosses the main path, he doesn't seem to notice Bella until the last minute. Not wanting to run into her he pivots doing a 360 spin which puts him off his original path just about a foot to the left where he slams into another tree face first, stopping dead against it for a split second before dropping backwards on his ass into a puddle that splashes up on the lower part of Bella's coat.

She gets ignored a lot. Bella likes this most times, but it's not always a good thing. Like when you almost get run over. "Hey, watch where yer-" That's probably how he noticed her. Then little snicker when the jogging guy takes a stumble. The splashing part kills the mood, though. She does her own stumble twitch jump veer dodge thing the other way. "Hey! Watch where yer trippin'!" Bella was trying to shuffle around the puddles to stay dry.

That's enough to get Gabriel's attention, and he sprints over to the scene of the slop. Good pace, too. "Hey, everyone okay?" is what comes out in a thick drawl today. "Bella, you, ah... get any mud on you?" Then he extends a hand toward the fallen man to help him up. "Still a little off balance from dealing with those bastards, Bart? Nice shot on that flying horse thing, by the way." He looks up as his hand is still raised. "Stars are still nice and bright tonight. Sure hope Spring has finally arrived. Haven't seen a winter like this since '44. That was a bitch."

Bartholemew sits there a bit dazed, by appearance it would seem he prolly never heard anything Bella said afterward. He doesn't seem coherent until he looks up at the hand offered by Gabriel that he reaches out accepting the help up still shaking his head a bit. "Um, yeah, seems so. Thanks. First time gettin hit with anything like that." giving a slight chuckle at the stars part, "Yeah, seein plenty of stars." Once up he turns to Bella giving an apologetic smile, "Sorry bout that. Musta been in my own little world."

"Fine." Bella's sharp with that. Then there's some muttering. She shakes her coat a little to get rid of any extra splash. "Oughtta stay inna world yer runnin' in. Run inta less shit doin that." Her hood peers at Batholemew. Then it's back to Gabriel. "Ya go 'n get shot at 'r somethin?"

"Yeah, well I guess I did some shooting. Tagged an ugly fucker that looked like a spiky turtle. He didn't live long." Gabriel shrugs. "But mostly I was just a taxi service for Miss Valeriya. Still, air mobile infantry is important, so you do what needs to be done, right?" He turns his eyes to Bartholemew. "I was still in town - what'd they hit you guys with, anyway? I mean, I saw the other guys down with a magic something, but never saw what happened to you."

Bartholemew gives a very brief brushing off of himself, can't really brush off wet soaked in. For anyone seeing him now, the lower half of his military fatigues is covered with the splashes of mud and water, his backside is a big wet spot all the way down. The only part of him that looks dry at this point is the all weather poncho he wears in order to keep him dry. "Some sonic type weapon." he says answering Gabriel, "Not only did it blast my armor, something got through. It put me and Taz on our asses almost, kinda like just hittin that tree right there, best I can describe it. I know now, I need to pick up one of them shotguns everyone seems to be liking. I was very limited in effect on that job."

Bella tips her hood. "Guess ya boys had fun, huh? Didn' miss nothin' 'ere." She takes some of that back. "Mostly nothin. Heard a coupla things ya asked me 'bout, good guy." There's a smirk in the hood somewhere for Gabriel.

Gabriel speaks to Bartholemew. "Wow. Well... that sucks. I don't know what you can do, but my NTI rifle is pretty good. You don't need wrists of steel to use it, and it has incredible range. 'bout twice that of a common energy or plasma weapons. In heartily endorse it." He then chuckles as he looks to Bella. "You'll have to tell me about it. I'm going nowhere, that's for sure." Back then to Bartholemew. "So how did we make out? I know that Val snagged a weapon that was apparently right at my feet that I didn't see. Guess after that I was just paying attention to the big picture."

Valeriya makes her way into the park for an evening walk. In her hands is what looks to be an electrically assisted bicycle. Certainly a new feature for her. Perhaps odd she isn’t riding it. Seeing the park isn’t quite empty yet she doesn’t seem inclined to start but moves towards the group present.

Bartholemew smiles with a knowing nod about the rifle, "Yeah, that’s the bad boy that whacked me and Taz, nasty bugger." With a smile to Bella, "Yeah, it was fun for the most part, got to come home in sorta one piece, no major wounds and no losses, which is always a good thing regardless of anything else." With Val entering the picture he glances her way as he answers Gabe about the payout, "I haven't heard, I picked up two Vibro swords but that was about all I found on that crazy insect thing." Then looking back to Gabe, "I'm hoping to catch up about that soon. But for now, I need to git going, on a schedule today. Good seeing ya again, I'll look into that NTI rifle." Then turning to Bella before heading off, "Sorry again, believe me, it hurt me more than it hurt you." giving a light chuckle.

"Yeah. Looked like it." The hood nods at Bartholemew. He's going somewhere. Gabriel ain' so he's next. "Can tell ya 'bout 't." Maybe she's going to now but she spots somebody else walking. "Whenever ya want." Bella don't know if it's all supposed to be super secret stuff.

Gabriel smiles at the little coat and offers, "Yeah, I'll take you to the Silver Fork, and buy you a steak - cooked raw. We can talk there." As his eyes catch sight of Valeriya wandering in, he calls out, "Hey Miss Valeriya! How the hell did you notice a rifle that was apparently sitting at my feet? What's it do?" His drawl is thick today. A small misting of rain has begun. Just that annoying kind. Therefore, despite the fact that he really seems to be unable to decide.. he removes his floppy jungle hat from its place at the small of his back and sets it on his head. No skin getting wet now save for hands.

Valeriya shrugs, joining Gabriel that the small cloak. "Like most rifles if blows holes in things. It's quite capable, and has the capability of stunning as well. Uses magic energy for ammo." She replies casually, like its just another weapon. "Unfortunately I'm not overly familiar with rifles. Might have to look into finding a teacher."

Bella is happy to be all wrapped up in her coat. "Sure. But ya don' gotta try 'n feed me every time I open my mouth, ya know." Probably still a smirk in there. A shrug too. "Lotsa ways 'n toys ta put holes in people. If it works, it works." She looks at the lady and her bike thing. That she's holding. "Ain'tcha s'posed ta ride that?"

An eyebrow is raised. "Well, if it runs off of magic, then I suppose it would only have been a conversation piece or selling it for some credits as far as I'm concerned. Still, as an old-school man from the early half of the twentieth-century, I'm quite capable with your basic rifle. So if you want to swap rolls of pupil and instructor.. I could help you out. Be happy to." Gabriel then chuckles a little, adding, "But I'd like to recoup my money." Gabriel raises his other eyebrow, this time directed at Bella. "Lots of ways to kill, but not everything is up to being killed the same way, or so I've learned. A number of times." It definitely looks like he's going to retort the food comment, but he doesn't. Just waits to see which one, woman or girl, will speak up first.

Valeriya nods to Bella. "So I have heard, but yet to actually attempt. Came here to try the concept without being to much of a spectacle." she says in reply to Bella before smirking to Gabriel. "I'm not cheap. a good skill is worth its time in gold. I won't flinch if your rates with me are similar to my own or even higher."

"It ain'a bike?" Bella peers a little more. Maybe it isn't. "Looks kinda weird. Ain' real good with magicy stuff neither. So." Back to Gabriel. "How much ya lose? 'N there anybody ya ain' runnin' 'round tryin' teach somethin'?"

"Actually, I am already busy with Miss Monique. May not have time to teach firearms, too, but we'll see. I'm not entirely sure how devoted she is to the project." Gabriel shrugs a little, then smiles at Bella. "Teaching is what I do. Well, part of it anyway. I've led a very odd life." Strange admission. His face brightens up with an amused look as he turns to the warrior woman. "C'mon, pick a spot in the sky and fire off that bad boy. Just don't point it at me."

Valeriya's expression is momentarily suspicious of Gabriel's request but its very brief before she shakes her head. "Can't bring energy rifles past the gates. Silly, as my backup pistol can do more damage but I don’t care to debate semantics with underpaid guards." She says before moving on to shrug at Bella, "Just a bike."

A little snicker comes out of Bella's hood. Mostly at Gabriel. "Betcha did. 'S'why yer weird. Or maybe cause yer old. Gotta give 'way stuff outta yer brain 'fore it all shrivels up." The whole rifle thing's just a little confusing. Maybe his brain's shrinking quicker than she thought. So she nods her hood at the tall chick. "They ain' real smart. But reall bull-headed."

"Yes, a woman's prerogative to make fun of men, but not the other way around. Unless you're being a complete bitch." Gabriel sticks out his tongue at the little coat. Then, a very odd comment. "You know, Miss Valeriya, we've known each other for.. a few months now? Spent some time in the ring together with you battering me with wooden instruments? I never noticed the hooves." He waves a hand in the appropriate direction. "I've gathered that you're an alien, that seem obvious to me. Definitely not from around here, by the way you talk. But where you're from - are hooves normal? Because for me personally, I've only ever heard of the Greek god Pan and well... Satan walking around in hooves."

Valeriya lowers a level glare at Gabriel and shakes her head. "And men have no sense of fashion." She remarks before bringing up her leg to undo and remove her boot and reveal a perfectly human foot. Lowering it back to the soft grass a moment it seems conditioned to have her on the balls of her feet at all times and she shows no discomfort at that. "Now, would you like to take off your boot, and serve it to yourself with some ketchup?"

Little snicker to big laugh. Yep, Bella can laugh. She even has to pop a hand out of her cuff and stick it in her hood. "Ya better be teachin' quicker. Yer brain's shrinkin' fast." It's her prerogative and she's going to prerogatate it all she wants.

Gabriel is somewhat surprised, but still merrily smirks. "Interesting choice of shoes. I thought they only did that in China. But a woman's shoe heel is still a woman's shoe's heel. A stiletto spike is a stiletto spike - and most unseemly. So my hoof observations stands." It should be clear by both expression and voice that he carries no ill will, just humor at the situation. Bella is then on the receiving end of his right thumb being placed on the end of his nose with his four fingers wiggling in the air, his eyes crossed.

Valeriya says, "Call them hooves of you like. But I am still human. No one has managed to take that from me yet." Valeriya remarks coldly, clearly taking it a bit personally as she quickly puts the boot back on. "Now, my evening ride awaits." And she looks done with conversation, walking her bike further into the park before attempting to ride it on hooves."

"Watch it. Could lose a finger doin that." Bella's still coming down from the laugh. She eyes Val hoof it away a little then turns back to the good guy. "So. Ya still buyin? Guess it's good it's food 'n ain' shoes." You have just received a vote.

"Sure thing, little one. Come on." Ironically, and probably just reflexively, he'll extend his left hand to be grabbed, escorting the girl to the Silver Fork. Whatever happens, he'll begin to move off, asking the question, "Ever been to the Silver Fork? I mean both before and after."

Scene fades as they being to cross town for a late meal.